EVENTS

21 Year old, Abigail Borah, Speaks Out in Durban

While American Politicians are hesitant to push the climate issue both nationally and internationally, a youth speaks out against inaction.

Thanks to recent big pushes by the energy industry, there has been over a 15 percentage point shift in America’s belief in global warming. Unfortunately, that shift has been towards the opinion that the consensus of the scientific community is nothing but an elaborate conspiracy perpetrated by “so called” expects against the larger community that can’t be bothered to do any research themselves. With pubic belief as it is, politicians have been hesitant to take on the issue directly.

That seems to be the case in Durban, South Africa, where the international community has gathered to discuss climate change. However, given the “climate” of the talks, this conference will likely not see any major moves to legally binding changes necessary to have a sizable impact.

Seeing the inevitable inaction on the horizon, 21 year old Abigail Borah, a member of the youth climate delegation spoke out to the powers that be.

I am speaking on behalf of the United States of America because my negotiators cannot. The obstructionist Congress has shackled justice and delayed ambition for far too long. I am scared for my future. 2020 is too late to wait. We need an urgent path to a fair, ambitious and legally binding treaty. We need leaders who will commit to real change, not empty rhetoric. Keep your promises. Keep our hope alive.

Abigail’s message reiterated the basic position of the world’s youth who are active in the issue. What is a hazy agenda item to the older generations is of dire consequence to those of us who will live the majority of our lives after 2020.